Night Moves is a drama thriller film directed Kelly Reichardt. The plot sees a group of environmental terrorists blow up a damn to raise awareness of their cause and steal the eyes of the world for just one night. Everything goes well and falls into place; that is until it is revealed that someone died in their bombing, something no one wanted, this causes fractures in the group.
Before I get into the review I just want to say from a cinematography point of view this is a beautiful film, some of the shots of deserted backstreets and American wilderness look exquisite. Watching this film made me really appreciate what a beautiful country America is.
I think the performances from across the 3 main actors Jessie Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Skarsgard are all great. Eisenberg especially does a lot with very little; his facial acting is really top notch in this film. I think the ending and the way his character handles it feels very natural and believable and that adds to the brilliance of the film.
I think the messages and themes of the film are multi-layered, as you question the morals of the both the characters on screen as well as society at large. It does not pick a side; you can see fault in both. It handles the topic in a very nuanced way.
My one complaint would be that it is about twenty minutes too long and could do with a tighter edit, there were moments when I was gripped and there was also moments when I was bored and looking away.
Overall a very compelling film with great performances very worth checking out.
Pros.
The cinematography.
The performances.
The tension.
The manhunt.
Cons.
A little too long.
4.5/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 